Invalid-bed



S. BISHOP. INVALID BED.

(No Model.)

No. 331,608.m

UNITED STATES .aTnNT Ferca. c

SAMUEL` BISHOP, OF BLOOMINGTON, ILLINOIS.

INVALID-BED.

SPECIFICATION forming part ef Letters PatentV No.,331,608, datedDecember 1, 1885.

Application filed June 19, i885.

To all whom it may concern,.-

Be it known that I, SAMUEL BISHOP, a citizen of the -f United States,residing at Bloomington, in the county of McLean and State of Illinois,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Invalid-Beds; and Ido hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to certain improvements in invalid beds orhammocks; and it has for its obj ects to provide certain improveddevices and combinations of devices whereby a disabled patient may belifted above his couch without disturbing his position, and withoutgiving him unnecessary pain or disturbing the relative parts of anysurgical appliances; further, to conveniently attend a helpless patientwhen required to answer the calls of nature; also, to provide forreadily tilting the patient to either side, as occasion may require;and, finally, to provide simple and effective means for accomplishingthe above purposes without delay or expensive appliances, as more fullyhereinafter specified. These objects I attain bythe means illustrated inthe accompanying drawings, in which* Figure l illustrates a perspectiveview of a bed or couch, showing my invention applied thereto, and Fig.2, a detached perspective View 0f a portion thereof, showing theoperating mechanism of that part in detail.

. The letter A indicates a bedstead of the ordinary or any approvedpattern, and B the slats which support the mattress.

C indicates a hammock or stretcher-frame, which is rectangular in shapeand somewhat smaller in area than the bedstead, in order that it may fitwithin the same and rest upon the mattress. This hammock or stretcherframe is composed of two longitudinal parallel bars, c, which arerectangular in cross-section, and two end bars, c', which are providedwith square' mortises near each end, into which are adapted to fitsquare tenons d at the ends of the bars c, by means of which the partsof the stretcher frame are held together, and by means of which squaretenons the side bars are prevented from turning when once the tenons areengaged in the mortises. Outside of the mortises, at or near each end ofthe end Serial No. 169,269. (No model.)

bars, are secured the ends of the ropes D, which are engaged by thehooks or eyelets E at the lowervends of the ropes F, the upper ends ofwhich are secured to a windlass, G, extending longitudinally andcentrally over the bedstead. The said windlass is provided with journalsat each end, which have their bearings in and near the upper ends of thevertical beams H, which are located near each end of the bed, onebeingjust Within the head-board and the other just outside of thefoot-board, as shown. These beams are held apart and braced by alongitudinal bracebeam, I7 (which is provided with attachment fasteningsnot shown in the drawings) and are held against swaying to either sideby means of the cross-braces K, which are slotted longitudinally,asindicated by the letter L, and are adjustably fastened to the verticalbeams by means of bolts and nuts M. The vertical beams and cross-bracesare provided with vwith which is adapted a pawl, 1J, to prevent areverse motion ofthe Windlass, and with a double crank, I), by which thewindlass may `be easily controlled in winding or unwinding the ropes forthe purpose of elevating or lowering the stretcher-frame. i

The device as a whole is so made as to be easily separated into itsseveral parts, so as to facilitate packing for storage ortransportation. In some instances it is preferred that the side beams ofthe stretcher-frame be provided with round tenons instead of squareones. In such an arrangement theses'aid round tenons are each providedwith pawls R and ratchets S, by means of which the sheet may betightened upon the stretcher-frame, as more fully hereinafter described.Y

The operation of my invention is as follows: The sheet on which thepatient lies is rolled evenly and tightly around the side beams of thestretcher-frame until the side beams are in ICO position to have theirtenons inserted'into the mortises of the end beams, which entries havingbeen made, the side bars are prevented from revolving by means of thesquare tenons on their ends, or by the ratchets when it is preferred touse round tenons, and the sheet is prevented from slipping bytherectangular surface of the side beams.

Having now properly adjusted the ropes and turning on the windlass bymeans of the crank, the patient, with pillows and covering, is gentlyand easily lifted and held above his couch without any delay or trouble,and without causing any unnecessary pain or disturbing any surgicalappliances employed in his treatment. By this means the bed maybeconveniently aired and remade, and a bed-pan or' any other vessel may bequickly and conveniently placed below the patient, the stretchersheethaving an opening or iap to permit the patient to use said vessel. Vhenrequired to tilt the patient to one side, the hooks of thewindlass-ropes are shifted on the ropes supporting the stretcher-frameslightly to the side t0 be elevated, and the windlass turned to raisethe frame, which will then tilt gently, easily, and effectually. Shouldthe sheet after some use sag a little from stretching, one of the sidebeams is turned so as to take up the slack; or should it sag too much atany one given point, it is unrolled and'rolled up again with specialreference to that point. When it becomes desirable to change a soiledsheet for a clean one, the patient is lifted from the mattress andtheclean sheet placed under him. Then, having lowered liim again to thebed, the soiled sheet is unrolled and slipped out, and the stretcher isreconstructed as at the first.

The sheets used in the stretcher should be new and strong ones, so as toinsure against accident from rending. It will be seen that by means ofthis hammock as thus constructed and operated the patient can be handledand waited on with very little exertion or trouble on the part of theattendant, and with no unnecessary pain to the patient, while hisposition will be undisturbed, as well as the position of any surgicalappliances, which is of the utmost importance, especially in thetreatment of patients having fractured limbs or fractured pelvic bones.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, 1s-

1. The combination, with the verticalv end beams, H, and connecting-beamI, of thecrossbraces K, having slots L, and the bolt M, whereby theparts may be adjusted, substantially as specified.

2. The combination,with the vertical beams H, the connecting-beam I, andthe slotted crossbraces K and connecting-bolt, of the stretcher-frame A,arranged above thevbedst'ead, and the suspension-cords F, and windlassG, and operating lever and ratchet, the whole arranged substantially asspecied.

In testimony whereof I afx my signature in presence of two witnesses.

SAMUEL BISHOP.

Witnesses:

WM. H. BEAVER, A. G. Kona.

